Broken Dreamer
by VirendraLione
Summary: Amanda Raeburn has missed the whole Loki and Avengers episode. She is eager to return to her work as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent and wants to know what happened in her absence. Fury won't say. In fact, he is looking at her as if she has just lost her mind. Then again, maybe she has... T for safety. Loki x OC.
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Thor or the Avengers or any of the characters from either. I do own my . And the plot though, so please no touchy._

_**Amanda Raeburn resumes her job at S.H.I.E.L.D, having missed the entire episode involving Loki and the Avengers. She wants to know what happened in her absence, but Director Fury is looking at her as if she had lost her mind. Then again, maybe she has…**_

_**I apologise for the previous upload of this chapter. I messed up and ended up omitting the end of the chapter; That is the reason you should wait until you are fully awake before attempting to upload. Just saying...Anyway here is the full chapter. This was supposed to be a one shot but I think it is a seven chapter story now 0_o Oh well. Enjoy!**_

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**Broken Dreamer.**

**Chapter One.**

Amanda squints into the void before her, her heart an adhesive lump in her throat.

This was how it usually started.

There is a chill in the air that summons goose bumps to every inch of flesh left bare by her nightclothes and a bitter ache beneath her naked soles. She watches as her breath condensates before her in the flicker of a fluorescent tube above her head.

Then, as usual, her gaze is torn from the mist, focusing beyond it as a flash of movement catches her eye.

Subconsciously, Amanda edges forth, arms outstretched in anticipation of an unseen wall. The lump in her throat swells as she leaves the sometimes safety of the wavering light. Continuing forwards with fear coiling itself around her spine, she cries a tentative 'hello' to whatever may be listening.

The response is a curdled, blood-choked scream.

It pierces the silence causing her to all but leap sideways searching out the stability of the wall. There she crouches, breath baited, tears burning in eyes closed tight in defiance. Her hands are on the wall, palms flat. She wails at them in her mind to find her ears and block out the screams. _His _screams, but a part of her resists. A part of her paralyses her body and, in the back of her mind, Amanda knows it is recompense for her own escape. She is free somehow now, but she must listen. She must be reminded of what she left behind. What was sacrificed for her life.

The screaming stops and Amanda's eyes flick open, knowing that the halted cries can mean only death. Even if the torture relented he would still be calling for her. Crying out for her to leave him behind…But there is only silence.

Amanda expects the omnipresent and all-encompassing nothingness, but starts back suddenly at what she sees.

There is a man in front of her. He is kneeling, his pale face - but an inch from hers - a stark contrast to the darkness.

This is unexpected and not how it usually goes.

Throwing a glance over her shoulder Amanda is relieved to see the flickering light fixture still behind her and engages in a fretful backwards scramble to reach it. She turns her gaze forwards again and does not take her eyes from the stranger until she can feel the barely there electrical buzz above her again.

Fighting to her feet, she takes a subconscious, defensive stance. The stranger rises also, yet his is a controlled, graceful ascension to a confident and imposing straight-backed stance.

Amanda can see he is tall and his raven hair would probably reach a little past his shoulders if it were not slicked back behind his ears. The top of his head is barely a foot off the ceiling and Amanda is sure he would be unable to avoid the tube if he were to invade her little circle of safety.

For a second, she can imagine a helm atop his head. Golden and horned.

_Maybe he took it off because he knew it wouldn't fit…_

Amanda is surprised at this odd thought and blinks once or twice to ascertain its origin.

Gleaning none, she turns her gaze forwards again only to find the stranger on the outskirts of the pool of light.

Her breath hitches in her throat as she takes a step backwards. The man takes this as an invitation and steps into the radiance. Amanda finds her previous supposition wrong, not by an awful lot, but still wrong.

The man angles his head to look at her and their eyes lock. His are the colour of emeralds. Hers feel as if they are brown.

They remain this way for what seems like an age, but what Amanda knows has only been a second or two, until he breaks away with a smile and shifts his gaze upwards.

Amanda takes this opportunity to turn her focus downwards and takes note of a suit of light armour upon the tall man's form, a mixture of what appears to be gold and steel. However, Amanda is sure the metals are as unknown to her as this man is. A cloak that matches the stranger's eyes cascades from his shoulders and she cannot help but feel as if it does more than merely shield him from the elements.

The fluorescent tube gives a slight ping and ceases its flickering. Amanda notices this and searches for the strange man's gaze, but it is beyond her. He closes his eyes for a mere second and all at once the place is ablaze with luminosity. Amanda's eyes ache as the pupils contract to protect themselves and she cannot help but rub at them. It is an attempt to acclimatise at which the stranger chuckles. Amanda squints upwards to meet his gaze, seemingly unaffected by the change in light levels.

He stares at her steadfast.

She matches it as soon as she is able.

His smile widens. It is warm and inviting, yet terrifying at the same time. Amanda can feel her heartbeat slowing to behold it and she somehow knows she is safe, if only for a moment.

The man bends at the waist, extends an arm and pinches Amanda's right hand delicately in long, nimble-looking fingers.

Amanda is hesitant but his eyes - that somehow he manages to keep fixed to her own - tell her she has nothing to fear.

Slowly he lifts her hand to his lips and plants a kiss just above the knuckle of her middle finger. The kiss is gentle, but like ice and Amanda is ashamed to flinch a little.

As soon as the stranger's lips part from her flesh he releases her, straightens and takes a step backwards.

Amanda watches as his face falls solemn. She wants to ask him why, but the words cannot squeeze themselves past the only somewhat diminished lump in her throat.

"They will lie to you." The stranger offers suddenly, slowly, simply and yet with great concentration.

Amanda can feel her brow furrowing. She wanted an answer, but she cannot comprehend the response he has given.

He seems to know this.

"No, not lie; they will omit things. They will not believe you are capable."

There is a pause and the stranger's mouth twitches slightly as if he is forbidding a smile.

"But I do."

The man takes a few further steps back. Amanda almost reaches out to him, but she can sense he does not want her to come near.

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**_So there you have it. I hope this interested you. It was quite interesting to write especially this chapter since I don't usually write in the present tense and I hadn't intended to do so. However, I felt it seemed right and sounded better than the past tense. _**

**_Thanks go to asnanime (Hope I spelt it right!) for the story alert. I hope I do not disappoint. Guess I should go message you to let you know I've amended the chapter..._**

**_Anyway, to all new readers; I hope I have suitably peaked your interest. As of yet, I have no plans to continue beyond the seven chapters, but if enough people leave reviews and add me to lists (hint, hint) then I shall consider expanding the story._**

**_Hope you like it so far!_**

**_~~~Vi~~~_**


	2. Chapter 2

_I do not own The Avengers or Loki, even though I may wish that so. Enjoy this for what it is; an obsessive fan girl's escape from reality._

_**A little short this one. But hey, at least it's an update right? lol more chapters coming soon so keep watching. Once again, asnanime deserves thanks for being the only one so far following this fic. So thank you, You're brill! **_

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**Broken Dreamer.**

**Chapter Two.**

Amanda's eyelids fell open slowly and were greeted by lemon yellow sunlight peeking through the gap left in the curtains. Unease overcame her as she shifted her weight to sit up against the headboard. She surveyed the room in an attempt to ascertain whether or not she was still dreaming, everything was just as she had left it. Even down to the rain-stained off-licence receipt she had toss onto the dresser, along with the contents of her coat pocket, the previous evening. Her focus then found the half-empty glass of water on the bedside cabinet, complete with speckles of dust that had collected there whilst she had slept.

Why would she bother to dream such meaningless details?

The muscles in her legs resisted as she swung them from beneath the covers and projected dull aches in protest as she crossed to the window. Tentative fingertips found the curtains and, with a breath to steady her resolve, swung them open.

Warm, mid-morning sunlight flooded the room and prickled her skin.

She had done it; for the first time in months she had slept right through the night.

Thinking back to the dream she had had, Amanda could not help but give credit to the stranger. He had never appeared in her dreams - or nightmares, for that matter - before and it seemed odd to her that she should only sleep soundly on the night he was present there.

The smile she gave was barely there - poisoned with the still bitter memory of lives lost - but still it had come and she was grateful. She outstretched a finger, depressed a button and let the sun kissed melody drown out the spectral screams.

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**_I've all the chapters written for this fic. so updates should be fairly quick. As I mentioned before I don't plan to continue this after the seven chapters. or at least not until I've finished some of the other big fics I have going on at the moment. I'm not entirely sure that people are interested in this anyway, but hey if you's like to see this continued then just review or drop me a PM and I will do my best to oblige. _**

**_~~~Vi~~~_**


	3. Chapter 3

_The Avengers and Loki remain the property of other people. *sad face*_

_**Again, this is another short chapter (maybe they are all short) but I thought I may as well update this since it was written and I think it's just a wee bit more interesting than chapter 2...**_

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**Broken Dreamer.**

**Chapter Three.**

The junior agent had been at her side with the third insertion of her cardkey at the turnstile. Amanda had turned to him with a raised eyebrow and surrendered the laminated piece of card to his outstretched hand with a little more force than was necessary.

"Is there a problem?" She asked curtly, receiving a meaningless smile for her efforts.

"Your pass doesn't appear to be working." He replied.

Amanda took a silent steadying breath and bit back the urge to wrap her fingers around the guy's neck and choke the patronising tone from his voice.

Instead, she settled for folded arms and a sarcastic, "Oh, really?"

The agent gave a nod and, to Amanda's annoyance, his impertinent smirk even seemed to widen a little.

"I can't see what the problem is from here…" He informed her, "…But if you'll allow me, I can take your key card for analysis and see if we can't get to the bottom of it that way."

Amanda rolled her eyes and was about to speak when someone else's voice interrupted her.

"Stand down, Agent. I'll take it from here."

The junior shrank away a little as the voice's origin made his way down a flight of stairs from the mezzanine floor and towards the turnstile. The agent handed Amanda back her pass and vanished almost as quickly as he had appeared.

It was only then that Agent Raeburn turned her attention to the figure approaching. The tall, dark-skinned, one-eyed man strode towards her, his leather long coat billowing as he walked. He typed an unseen code into a keypad on the turnstile and, with an obedient pip, it yielded to let Amanda pass.

"Director Fury." She greeted him, with the best, most genuine smile she could muster.

He gave a nod and placed a hand on her back, just below her neck, leading her to the stairs he had just descended.

"Agent Raeburn. Please, come with me."


	4. Chapter 4

_I am making no money from this. Please do not sue me…This is just an obsession I have at the moment and love writing about it. It makes me happy._

_**Ok so this chapter is a little longer and a little more interesting as a result. Enjoy!**__  
_

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**Broken Dreamer.**

**Chapter Four.**

Amanda tried her utmost not to shift beneath Fury's focus. He regarded her with a bizarre concoction of confusion and pity. There was something else too, but she found herself unable to name it. Was it annoyance, surprise, anger?

"You look well." The director stated simply, leaning his elbows on the desk and weaving his fingers together. "I must say, I didn't expect you back with us so soon."

Amanda attempted a small laugh, "That much is evident. What did you do? Deactivate my pass as soon as I was admitted to hospital?"

The chuckle was forced. The question, genuine. The expression on the director's face, unnerving.

After a second that had felt like a millennium Fury gave a slow shake of his head.

"We didn't know if you were going to come back to us." He admitted.

Amanda understood, "And an active pass card is a liability, I know." She finished with a nod.

"So are you going to fill me in on what I missed?" She chirped, almost cheerily.

Fury raised an eyebrow. His eye twitched as he subjected the woman before him to intense scrutiny.

After a while he heaved a sigh, shook his head and uttered an authoritative, "No."

Amanda allowed her mouth to fall open in disbelief. Her brows knitted themselves together in anger.

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I mean, you shouldn't even be here. I was not even informed they were releasing you."

Fury paused and Amanda inwardly reckoned it was for dramatic effect. She wouldn't put it past him; he always did like to play games…something to do with being a spy, she guessed.

There was a further second before the director spoke again.

"You should go home, agent. Get some rest. I'll see you in a month or so."

Fury stood from his seat and rounded the desk. Amanda stared blankly ahead at the now empty chair, disbelief hindering her ability to move. She was half aware of the door being unlatched behind her, but she remained still.

"A month _or so?_" Agent Raeburn repeated, slowly and shakily standing from her chair. She pivoted to face the director, leaning a hand on the grand bureau for balance.

"Sir, I believe I am more tha-"

"Agent. You are _not _capable…"

Another pause. Amanda fought the urge to roll her eyes. Subconsciously, she wondered if Fury spent every spare moment he had watching soap operas and period dramas.

"…Not yet."

Wait a second, what was that? What had Fury said about her? She wasn't capable?

A chill trickled down Amanda's spine and she could feel the prick of goose bumps beneath her uniform. Her grip on the edge of the desk tightened a little as she thought back to her dream and the stranger's warning_; "They will omit things. They will not believe you are capable."_

Back in the dream, Amanda had not really understood the meaning behind the words. She had been equally perplexed at the word 'they'. Who were 'they' anyway?

But she understood now.

The stranger had meant S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Fury was withholding information from her; omitting it, you might say…and, what's more, the director had used the very same word as the strange man had: Capable. He could have said that he didn't thing she was ready, that she needed time to adjust and comprehend what had happened to her, but no…he had said 'capable'.

Amanda began rationalising. It was a coincidence…or maybe she had spent too much time with Fury, had gotten used the way he talked and the words he used and this had somehow transferred to her dream. The stranger had been a personification of her subconscious that knew she wasn't strong enough to go back to work. Then how did the man know they would lie to her? She hadn't known that Fury would refuse to brief her on what transpired whilst she was absent. Had she suspected it though?

"Agent Raeburn. Are you alright?"

Fury's voice woke her from her thoughts.

Amanda managed a nod and attempted a smile in submission.

"Actually…I think you may be right, sir." She began, bidding her free hand find her surprisingly clammy forehead. "I think I should probably go home."

The director gave a complacent nod as if he suspected this would be the outcome all along.

Amanda made her way slowly to the door, but halted before passing through.

"If it's alright with you, sir…I would like to go down to the lockers. I left some things in mine that I would like back and…"

Her throat went suddenly dry and she broke eye contact with Fury.

He waited for her, but she was sure he had figured it out by now.

"I think Hyde left some things in his too."

The director gave a solemn nod.

"Go ahead. I hadn't found the time to clear it out myself yet."

_I wonder why…_

Amanda pondered, inwardly.

"Thank you, sir." She managed in as genuine a tone as she could muster.

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**_I hope this has gotten a few more people interested in this fic. But then again I wrote it mostly for myself...and in order to get some sleep. Damn plot bunnies..._**


	5. Chapter 5

_I assure that I own nothing Avengers - ish and I probably should never be allowed to do so. Consider yourself disclaimed._

_**You get the idea by now. This fic = all written, resulting in rapid uploads. Still waiting on at least one review btw...come one guys. is one too much to ask for? I didn't think it was that bad ...**  
_

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**Broken Dreamer.**

**Chapter Five.**

Amanda had been expecting Agent Faraday, but his entrance still startled her. The door had struck the closest locker with an ear-splitting clang, causing Amanda to leap to her feet and assume a defensive stance. Something at the back of her mind reminded her of the stance she had taken in her dream last night. She internally scoffed at the idea.

_What am I psychic, now? No…coincidence. Pure coincidence._

She relaxed as Faraday crossed to her and folded her into a heartfelt, yet none to gentle, hug. She reciprocated as best she could, but found her arms immobilised by the sheer mass of Faraday's muscles. Amanda half-registered something light tickle the back of her head and she hoped to god it was the file she had asked him to bring and not some insect that had decided to nest in her hair.

"I can't believe you're back." Faraday breathed, finally releasing the smaller agent.

Amanda fought the urge to cough and settled with clearing her throat.

"Well, technically I'm not. I want to be, but Fury's being an ass."

The agent before her gave a smug smile and a series of slow, bobbing nods that she took to mean empathy.

"But are you okay, though? You coping?"

Amanda took a breath before nodding and resumed her seat on the bench in the middle of the room. Faraday took a seat beside her and laid an arm across her shoulders.

"I still have nightmares, but they're not as bad as they were at first." She admitted, shamelessly. Faraday gave her a comforting squeeze.

Of all her colleagues, and in all her time at S.H.I.E.L.D, Amanda had felt she could completely trust all of three agents. Faraday had been one of the three, Hyde another. The other agent had been a woman named Lydia Rees, but Amanda had not heard from her in over a year or so. She had looked into her disappearance, but had found only that she had been assigned to a mission and all other details were unhelpfully vague. There was nothing that said compromised or killed or missing in action on her file, so Agent Raeburn had not fully given up hope of her return.

"I couldn't believe it when they told me what happened. I was fuming. I couldn't abide Fury sending you two in like that!"

Amanda's lips almost twitched into a smirk as she turned a sideways glance to Faraday's rapidly reddening face.

"He didn't know. No one did. It wasn't anything we could have prepared for."

Faraday shook his head, "He should have gotten more intel. Or at least given you guys more back up."

"I'm fine." Amanda assured her comrade, leaning in to his side and resting a head on his shoulder.

She was comfortable. She felt safe and she could have stayed in the locker room with Faraday forever in this state. It was grounding and familiar. She had been alone for months, almost a year if her calculations where correct, her only visitors doctors, psychiatrists or nurses. Her home a sterile, snow coloured cubicle with no window. True the locker room had no window, but at least it was familiar and at least she had Faraday with her. She would cling to him forever if she could, forbid him to never leave her sight. She couldn't standing losing him like Hyde or vanishing off the face of the Earth like Lydia.

A tear trickled down her cheek and she swiped at it desperately. She had hoped Faraday hadn't noticed, but a responsive squeeze told her he had.

Giving a sniff, Amanda pulled out of the embrace and straightened, twisting to look at her colleague better.

"So are you going to tell me what's been going on whilst I was _on holiday_?" She queried with a playful laugh. She watched Faraday's expression darken as he handed her the beige documents file.

"Here, but don't blame me if you don't like what you read."

Amanda swallowed uncomfortably.

"That bad, huh?" She asked rhetorically, flipping open the folder and skim reading the first page. It appeared to be a profile on some sort of power source; some sort of cube called the Tessaract.

Amanda closed the paper wallet and could feel bewilderment crossing her features.

"You can take those with you." Faraday started with confidence, "They're all copies so no one should notice."

Amanda stood and tucked the file under one arm. Faraday also stood. He folded her into another bear hug, before heading for the door.

"I'd better get back to work. Take care of yourself, okay?"

Amanda gave a nod.

"I will."

"See you soon." Faraday gave a wink.

Amanda reciprocated, "Yeah, see you soon."

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**_Now for the interesting part..._**


	6. Chapter 6

_Read this paragraph and consider yourself disclaimed: I own nothing Avengers - ish. I own Amanda, Faraday, Hyde, Lydia, the nameless Junior Agent (who I was going to call Conroy at one point) and the plot._

_**This chapter makes a few things make sense...**  
_

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**Broken Dreamer.**

**Chapter Six.**

It had been child's play to sneak the folder out of the base undetected. She had hidden it at the bottom of a plastic box she kept in her locker and then proceeded to pile various items on top. Apparently, the X-rays weren't sensitive enough to pick up on it.

In the end, Amanda had resorted to sweeping the contents of Hyde's locker into the box as swiftly as she could manage. She would go through it all back at the apartment where she could lock the doors and make sure no one would see her if she broke down. She left her locker mostly as it was, scooping up a notepad, a can of deodorant and an old watch for authenticity.

Back at the apartment, Amanda had ignored the box, leaving it haphazardly in her hallway. Slapping the folder onto the dining table, she made her way into the kitchen, returning a mere minute or so later with a cereal bar in one hand and a large glass of red wine in the other. It had been a trying day after all.

Amanda seated herself at the head of the table and took a sip of wine, before opening the folder once again.

She re-read the first sheet, but this time with care, lapping up all the information she could. There was a further page on the Tessaract and detailed an episode with a man named Steve Rogers A.K.A. Captain America.

Amanda's eyes narrowed a little. She knew of the good captain and how he had been resuscitated after years buried in the ice. She also knew he was going to be recruited to the Avenger's initiative once he had adjusted to the contemporary world around him.

Amanda shuddered a little and flipped another piece of paper. This one profiled Tony Stark, the billionaire playboy turned superhero. Another was a profile on Hawkeye or Clint Barton, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent she had seen frequently in her work life. The next on a female agent named Natasha Romanov or Black Widow, whom she seen less frequently. The remaining profile was centred around a Dr. Bruce Banner and Amanda had to admit she had not heard of him before. There was also a piece detailing the involvement of a Dr. Erik Selvig and Agent Phil Coulson.

Amanda had hesitated at the agent's profile, detailing him as K.I.A. It brought tears to her eyes.

One of her more approachable colleagues, Coulson had offered assistance as and when anyone needed it. He was usually found trailing Director Fury, but Amanda had always felt comfortable around him. Her heart sank as she realised she should really have gotten to know him better whilst he was still alive.

She wiped at the tears and took another gulp of wine. The next piece of paper was another profile. This time on a man named Thor who apparently came from elsewhere in the universe and was allegedly the god of thunder.

Amanda found herself raising an eyebrow at this and turned over to the next page with a shake of her head.

It was the penultimate page in the folder and one that made her blood run cold. Staring up at her, as clear as day, was the strange man from her dream. For minutes, she studied the photograph intently. A pair of piercing green eyes stared back. His pallid complexion a contrast to his slicked back raven hair which was barely visible beneath the impressive horned helm situated atop his head. He wore armour made from indistinct metals and a cloak the colour of summer leaves.

Amanda shook her head and turned her focus to the stranger's profile. Her heart sunk and landed in the pit of her stomach.

The stranger's name was apparently Loki. He was the brother of Thor and had tried to enslave all mankind with an army of aliens called the Chitauri.

Amanda decided at that point that she had obviously had enough wine and stood from her seat, glass in hand. She disappeared into the kitchen, tipped the wine down the sink and returned to the dining table. She snatched up the cereal bar and chewed it nervously, devouring the morsel in seconds. Amanda waited for a moment to let the food find her stomach and soak up some of the alcohol before taking her seat up again and pouring over the documents once more.

She read the remaining pieces with intrigue and then re-read everything over, just to get the facts straight. Ultimately though, it was Loki's profile she found herself staring at.

How could she have dreamt of him? She did not even know of his existence until mere minutes ago. Could she have seen him on a television set? The news perhaps?

_No. Not possible._

Amanda's own television still wore its dust cover and there had been no televisions at the hospital. They had escorted her home in a car with blacked out windows, via a route that was entirely residential areas so there was also no way she may have glanced him in the window of an electronics store…

On a monitor at S.H.I.E.L.D. then?

Thinking back, Amanda could not recall seeing any monitors at the base what so ever and she hadn't even ventured into any area that would warrant having Loki's picture plastered across one.

So where had she seen him before? She must have seen him before, right? How else would her subconscious mind conjure him into her dream?

_Unless it didn't…_

The thought chilled her to the bone. Re-reading the trickster god's profile worsened the feeling. A list of Loki's known abilities accompanied the dossier and these included some telepathic ability, manipulation through speech/mind control and - rather ambiguously - magic.

"O…k…" Amanda felt herself saying, taking a step away from the folder. She laughed at the idea. How idiotic she felt for just considering this train of thought.

_Right so, let's say Loki did find a way to appear to me in my dreams, despite me having no knowledge of him prior to a few moments ago…_

"Why? And what am I supposed to do now?"

Amanda grimaced as she imagined telling Fury about the odd occurrence. He would probably have her stricken off for good, partly because he may think her compromised by Loki, but mostly he would just think her crazy and send her back to her padded cell to be prodded and poked and 'monitored' 24/7.

No, she would have no choice, but to keep this to herself. She wouldn't even confide in Faraday, she decided. There was a chance he may fear for her safety and tell Fury anyway.

This would have to be her little secret and she wasn't exactly sure she would mind keeping it. She had felt safe with Loki in her dream. There had been an undercurrent of uncertainty; that he was not to be trusted fully. But safety was a feeling that did not come easily nowadays and she was prepared to savour it whenever she could.

She gave a yawn and glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 11.50.

Amanda gathered up the pieces of paper and placed them back in the folder. She crossed to her living room rug and lifted a corner, sliding the file beneath the mat. It wasn't a brilliant hiding place, but Amanda could get to that later; it would do for now.

In the bedroom, Amanda changed for the night. She hesitated over her pyjamas, deciding to wear the ones she was wearing the night before, the ones that she had been wearing in her dream. Aware of the superstitious train of thought, Amanda began rationalising again.

_I have to have a control. This is an experiment. I need to keep things as close to the situation last night as possible. _

She ignored the fact that she had been released from the facility the day before and that today she had read a file about the stranger from her dream and had even been to work, but hey, having the same pyjamas was better than nothing.

Crawling beneath the covers, she lay on her side attempted to remember what position she had woken up in, but failed miserably and closed her eyes.

* * *

**_So what is going on with Amanda? And if it is not her subconscious and actually Loki, what does he want with her?_**


	7. Chapter 7

_The Avengers, Loki, Fury, SHIELD and anything you may recognise from the Avengers Assemble film or any other marvel superhero film remain the property of people other than myself._

_**So here it is... The end. That is, unless you guys want more of this. If you do then let me know via review or PM and I shall try to expand on it. **_

_**This has been fun to write and I hope that however few of you there are reading it, you enjoyed it also.**_

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**Broken Dreamer.**

**Chapter Seven. **

The corridor is dark, as always, save for the flickering fluorescent tube above Amanda's head. She squints into the darkness before her and calls 'hello' tentatively, into the void. This time there is no reply. This scares her more than it should. Is she never going to hear _him_ again?

A hand rests comfortingly on her shoulder but she still jumps at the touch. Long fingers lay across her collarbone on her right side, bare save for the thinnest spaghetti strap. A second hand is on her left shoulder now, perfect in its mimicry.

Whoever it is behind her leans forwards, almost resting his chin upon his right hand. He is so close Amanda can feel his breath on her neck and she is all at once thankful that she had cut her hair short.

"Loki." She breathes without thinking. Both hands tighten their grip at this, but it is a minute action and causes no pain.

"You know my name." He responds, voice soft and slow. Amanda thinks she can hear a smirk there, but fights the urge to turn and look upon his face.

"Y-yes." She stammers back, even though she is well aware that was not a question.

He seems to angle his head closer to her neck and, for a second she swears she can feel eyelashes against her skin.

There is a long moment of silence and Amanda is annoyed that this reminds her of Fury.

"Are you afraid of me, Amanda?" Loki asks.

Amanda doesn't answer straight away. She knows what the answer should be. It _should _be a yes, it should be a cower in the corner, run away and hide, nauseous to the pit of her stomach yes.

But Amanda can't bring herself to say it.

"No." She states finally, half-expecting a reaction to simmer through his fingertips.

Instead his hands are completely still, his fingers seemingly glued to her collarbone, but he lifts his head. Amanda misses the warmth of his breath against her flesh.

_How odd that his lips are cold but his breath is so warm. _She muses, as perplexed about the origin of this thought as the one the previous night.

Amanda twists and Loki lifts his palms from her shoulders. Amanda angles her head upwards as she faces him and the pair lock eyes. His eyes are still the colour of emeralds. Tonight, hers feel as if they almost match. Hers are more dull, she decides, since she is a mere human and he is a god, the stuff of legend.

"No?" He asks her finally after an eternity of quiet.

"No." Amanda replies, without hesitation or thought.

She knows in her heart she has given the right answer. It is the truth. She cannot be afraid of him. He who helps her sleep and stops the screams. He who brings light to the void with a single pointed look. He who kisses her hand with lips like ice, but whose breath is the caress of a summer breeze.

Amanda cannot tear her focus from Loki's eyes. He lifts her hand and presses it to his lips. This time, Amanda does not flinch and she is unafraid.

* * *

_**This chapter was a fun one to write...So what do you guys think? Should I continue? Maybe I should have Amanda become obsessed with finding out who Loki is and where he might be...And, of course, this leads her colleagues at SHIELD to believe she is, in fact losing her mind...**_

_**Maybe, we'll see. Got a few other Fics to finish first and I would like to know if more people are reading this before I continue.**_

_**Gratitude in abundance to VampireOnFire, Smore9 and, of course, asnanime for your interest in this story and subsequent story alert adds. **_

_**To those guys - and anyone else who might be reading - Your views count, so let's see some reviews and alerts, shall we? **_

_**~~~Vi~~~**_


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